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The autumn breeze whipped against Neuvillette and Wriothsley as they trudged on. The orange leaves blew by toying with their hair framing the scene. Neuvillette felt the already-fallen leaves crunch under his feet as he took in another painful breath. The air was crisp and distinct; he knew this time of year all too well. The atmosphere was bittersweet. He hadn't been dating Wriothsley for long and this was the first time they would be visiting Carole's grave together. He had grown accustomed to the chilly air, the golden colors surrounding them. They weren't pleasant colors. Oh, no. To some people they might have been, but not to Neuvillette.
They trudged forward, past the old, rickety gate. It squeaked in response, but it went unheard. He had been here so many times but it was never easy. Everything was always the same when he came. Sometimes Neuvillette wished that it would change. Give him some closure, maybe. Show him that life moved on even after tragic happenings come along and slap you in the face. But maybe that's why Wriothsley had come into his life, to show him just that. It had been centuries to the day since the event and he still hadn't completely moved on. How could he?
They finally made it to their destination. Neuvillette clutched the parcel in his shivering, hands and he placed it down on the ground. The gray gravestone bore into him and Wriothsley; when his bright eyes met the dull coloring of it he felt his stomach drop. With stiff hands Wriothsley pushed away the stray tree droppings. The crinkly discolored leaves blew away in the brisk fall breeze and Neuvillette's arching eyes fell back on the grave. Her name; Carole,was engraved on the stone, staring them in the face. Teasing them. All he had left of her was a name, and a thousand memories that killed him to think about.
Neuvillette felt his eyes sting as tears threatened to fall. Nobody guessed that she would do what she did. And she was so young, too... it wasn't fair, especially since it was her. Especially since she had never gotten to see her dream of humans and melusines living together in Fontaine become a reality.
The sun burned Neuvillette's eyes. How dare it be so bright and lively on an occasion like this? How dare it still shine even though she was gone? It wasn't right. He fell to his knees, the fading grass brushing his knees. His fingers surrounded a pile of leaves that Wriothsley had pushed aside and he grasped them tightly and threw them away. His quickly-dulling eyes looked up at his boyfriend as he spoke up. "Hey, Carole. I came, just like I said I would, and I brought someone with me this time.”
Neuvillette took a shuddering breath before continuing. “This is my boyfriend Wriothsley, he's the best thing to ever happen in my long life, and…and you would've really liked him” he swallowed past the lump in his throat as Wriothsley put his hands on his shoulder squeezing it in silent comfort.
They received silence as their reply. Another gust of wind brushed by the pair and kicked up leaves that rested on the dull ground. He continued. "I wanted to wish ya a happy birthday. I wish you could've seen your dream become a reality.”
He took in a deep breath. Neuvillette never thought it would be possible to miss anybody- or thing, for that matter- this much. It was criminal. It was painful. It made him feel like crap. Carole was a cheerful melusine with big dreams and a passionate drive to achieve them. She was a cheerful thing with a heart too big for her body. Too big for anybody's body. Neuvillette had never seen anybody so loving in his life, well until Wriothsley came along.
Wriothsley felt his throat burn and his eyes singed with salty tears. "I'm sorry." He blurted out. Wriothsley didn't know why he was sorry, was he apologizing on behalf of the humans who drove her to take her life or was he apologizing for not coming into Neuvillette's life sooner either way it felt right.
"I'm sorry for the way humans treated you even if it was long before I was ever born." Wriothsley informed absolutely no one. He felt the first raindrop fall on his head. Wriothsley blinked once then twice he didn't know if it was because Neuvillette was using his powers as the hydro dragon sovereign or if it was just the fact that water held memory and they were in a place where a lot of memories exist but he could see Carole. She was sitting in front of them, her big eyes twinkling at them as Wriothsley spoke, her hands cupped over each of their own.
"If I could do it over, you know I would." Neuvillette informed her. He held her imaginary hand and looked into her eyes that didn't exist. "Had I forced humanity to accept the melusines you would never have had the need to take your life to prove their innocence." He added bitterly.
“Neuvillette, my love you know that deep in your heart Carole or the other melusines would've never wanted you to force us to accept them” Wriothsley said gently as he stroked his boyfriend's rhyophorns something only he was allowed to do. “You're right Wriothsley”
Carole tilted her transparent head and smiled at the pair a smile that made Wriothsley want to hold her in his arms and never, ever let go. Neuvillette laced his fingers along Wriothsley’s and closed his eyes. He knew that he was crying; he could feel the hot tears streaming down his face.
Neuvillette looked down to the roses in front of Carole's gave. "Thank you," she said, and Neuvillette was amazed that he could still remember her voice so well. Even centuries later it still baffled him that despite being a melusine that anyone couldn't like the girl that should have been sitting in front of them?
Carole reached around Neuvillette, her small see-through arms lacing around his body and Neuvillette pulled her close to him. Wriothsley knew that being with this memory of her wasn't helping anything. It was making Neuvillette revert back to the stage of denial. “Carole is really dead” Wriothsley told Neuvillette. “Carole is gone and there was no way that she could ever come back.” it hurt Wriothsley to say it but it had to be said or Neuvillette may never be able to fully move on.
"Don't ever forget me." Carole whispered into Neuvillette's ear. It tingled at the thought of her whispering to her such a sentence. How could he ever forget her? Was she insane? There was nothing that Neuvillette would want more then to have her come back to life. "I Promise.” He choked out. Why was he so stupid?
Why did Carole have to leave, why didn’t he step in sooner and put a stop to their mistreatment, he knew he could've at any time if he wanted to. But he didn't. The thought struck Neuvillette like a slap to the face.
And then she was fading. Neuvillette felt his head smash into his hands at the searing realization as the rain pelted both him and Wriothsley in an unforgiving downpour. It was harder the second time, he realized quite quickly. He was feeling everything that he had the first time but doubled- tripled, maybe. Neuvillette felt like his heart was being brutally ripped from his chest. He felt like every organ he possessed was being displayed from the inside out for the world to see. And once the illusion had fully vanished, once Carole was really gone for the second time in Neuvillette's life and he knew that he'd never be able to see her again was devastating; but with Wriothsley by his side it was a little more bearable cause now he wasn't dealing with this alone.
Neuvillette's fingers stretched across the faded grass as his feet pivoted meekly, crunching leaves behind him. The last few tears dropped to the ground and vanished
"Happy birthday, Carole." Wriothsley said.
Neuvillette yanked himself to his feet. His legs felt heavy, like stones but he willed himself to walk away from Carole, as he and Wriothsley made their way back to the gate. It sneered as he opened it, nearly breaking off of it's hinges. His next project would have to be to fix that.
Neuvillette took one last look at the burial site. A dozen roses sat by Carole's cleaned grave. To anyone passing by they'd be able to tell that whoever was buried there was deeply loved. A smile of some sort found it's way to his lips as he felt a familiar warmth enclose around his and Wriothsley’s dangling hands. An unexplainable feeling enclosed around their fingers as the couple turned and led the invisible heat away.
The ghost bobbled between them, the familiar smile returned and the rain finally stopped.